


Caisson

by LPSunnyBunny



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternian Alcohol, Bulges and Nooks (Homestuck), Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hair-pulling, Medicinal Drug Use, Office Sex, Other, Power Dynamics, Power Exchange, Quadrant Smearing, Recreational Drug Use, Social Dynamics, Trolls (Homestuck)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:41:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LPSunnyBunny/pseuds/LPSunnyBunny
Summary: Caisson(kəˈsuːn; ˈkeɪsən)n1. (Civil Engineering) a watertight chamber open at the bottom and containing air under pressure, used to carry out construction work under waterIt takes a lot of work to get anything done when it comes to the tangle that is Lohius Icanus. Luckily, Sovran has lots of practice under their belt.
Relationships: Lohius Icanus (OC)/Sovran Marqui (OC), Original Troll Character(s)/Original Troll Character(s) (Homestuck)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4
Collections: Sunny's Homestuck OC Universe, Sunny's Portfolio





	1. Dusk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twofoldAxiom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twofoldAxiom/gifts).



> This fic features [Lohius Icanus](https://toyhou.se/6609255.lohius-icanus) and [Sovran Marqui](https://toyhou.se/8979575.sovran-marqui), two OCs both owned by me. Click on their names for their toyhou.se profiles!

Sovran is always the first teal into the block. They're reliable in that way- not even thirty minutes after the blazing hot sun sinks below the horizon of the Alternian sky, their heels click on the smooth floor as they stride into the building. Their block is four floors up, but they always take the stairs. Letting themself get sloppy is the fastest path to ending up on the wrong side of a culling fork.

Their office is meticulously neat, their door locked. Though it may be with just a simple key, Sovran chose it deliberately. Only fools would believe that a key would keep anyone out who was determined to snoop, but it takes a bigger fool to believe that someone keeping things to hide would use a simple key lock. 

Sovran has nothing to hide. 

(Not where anyone can find anything, anyway.)

As they retrieve their key and slot it into the door, they pause for just a moment before turning it. There's no expected click or shifting of tumblers. They turn the key anyway, simply for the sake of it, before pulling it free and stepping into their office.

The first thing that strikes any troll entering Sovran's office is the wide window behind their desk, the kind that can be thrown open in a fit of dramatics- or can have someone thrown _through._ It makes a deliberate statement, once that Sovran is all too fond of musing over. 

Today, though, the panes of the window are interrupted by a single troll, standing and looking through them, hands clasped behind his back. He's a familiar, if unusual, sight, and Sovran doesn't let themself pause in their routine for even a moment as they close the door behind themself, divest themself of their coat and hang it up, and then walk over to their bookshelf to pull out the day's work. 

"You must be out of breath." Sovran muses, flipping through the folder, when the other troll does not talk. They glance up when there is no response and go on, watching the way his violet fin tilts slightly in their direction. "You made it here before I did. Surely you must have run." 

They _snap_ the folder closed and glide over, heels clicking smoothly, to stand next to him. They raise the folder and lightly pap it against his shoulder in a silent gesture designed to irritate.

"Purrbeast got your tongue?" Sovran murmurs. "You're unusually quiet, Lohius." 

Lohius, still, does not say anything. Sovran resists the urge to roll their eyes, quite successfully if they do say so themself. 

"Are we brooding, then?" Sovran inquires, tilting their head up to look at him. Their height difference is enormous- even with heels, the upwards spike of Sovran's horns barely meet Lohius' shoulders. "Is that the social event of the morning? Let me tell you, there are much better locations to brood than my office and you know this. I have work to get started on." 

They don't miss the subtle tightening of Lohius' hand on his wrist where they're clasped behind his back. Mm. In one of _those_ moods, then.

"If you came here to ignore me," Sovran goes on, as if they haven't already puzzled out why Lohius is here, "then I think you shall find that a challenge. I am not above hair-pulling and you know that as well."

"If you pull my hair, I shall take your fingers off." Lohius says.

"He speaks!" Sovran says lightly, irreverently, putting a hand to their chest. "Rather incredible- the great Icanus finally blesses us with his wisdom. Tell us, what can we expect for the day's news?" 

"I am not in the mood, Marqui." Lohius says. If Sovran were a poet, they might describe his gaze as stormy, or perhaps troubled, but they are nothing of the sort and as such settle on _petulant._

"Please, darling, you're always in the mood." Sovran paps the file against Lohius' shoulder again, once more resisting the urge to roll their eyes. "Though that mood, once more, seems to be _brooding._ If you're going to take up residence as a newly-permanent figure in my office, the least you could do is provide some form of entertainment." 

"I am not here to _entertain you._ " Lohius says derisively. Sovran is about ready to kick the back of his knee, just to get a proper reaction. 

"Yes you are." Sovran returns. "If you weren't, you would not bother coming and you would find some other corner to brood in."

"I am not _brooding._ " Lohius finally turns away from the window to offer Sovran a sharp, irritated glance- and Sovran takes their chance. 

They reach up and grab Lohius' tie to yank him down into a rough kiss. Lohius makes a disgruntled noise, much too stiff under Sovran's mouth for their liking, but he bites at Sovran's lip in irritation all the same. 

"Good evening to you too, Lohius." Sovran purrs, letting go and watching Lohius straighten back up, smoothing his suit jacket back down. Sovran decides right there and then that they are going to make sure it doesn't leave his office in a pristine condition.

"You are as insufferable as always." Lohius says lowly, but he doesn't turn back to the window, so Sovran counts that as a win.

"Yes." Sovran agrees. They enjoy watching the flicker of irritation in Lohius' eyes at their agreement. "So why don't we skip the part where I needle and prod at you until you snap and you can just tell me now what's got you wound up like a purrbeast about to be given a bath?" 

There's a flicker of emotion through Lohius' eyes that Sovran _almost_ doesn't catch- but they catch it all the same. The kind of half-shaded grief that all trolls acquire at some point or another- and must learn to manage, lest they perish under the weight of it.

Lohius is, perhaps, one of the most resolute trolls that Sovran knows (much to their fury, on more than one occasion), but that does not mean that he is immune to the crushing weight of emotions. No matter how much he might pretend they do not affect him.

Sovran is well aware of Lohius' other quadrants, or rather, the lack thereof. They don't want to touch the complicated mess of his… entanglement… with the Heir with a ten foot pole, but unlike Sovran, Lohius does not have a moirail. Lohius doesn't have anyone to bring him down gently and have a feelings jam with, to poke at the infected wounds of emotion and carefully lance the puss.

What he does have, though, is the next best thing. A moirail might be a needle, but Sovran is a _scalpel_ and they have no problems cutting to the heart of the matter.

Especially because they are, down to the core, a _massive bitch._

"Ah, is it that time of sweep again?" Sovran asks mildly, the pieces clicking together. They ask the question as though it were something to be celebrated and not an incredibly traumatic event. "Once more, we return to the anniversary of your greatest failure."

There is a vicious satisfaction in watching the immediate change in Lohius' stance, his body language going tight and pointed, his expression sharpening with rage. Seadwellers run cold- but Lohius' anger has never been anything but _boiling._

"Watch your tongue, Marqui, or you may find it _cut out_ ," Lohius snarls, his fins spread wide in a threat-display, but Sovran is unimpressed, brushing their hair back in disinterest.

"You have made that threat how many times?" Sovran asks idly, dropping their folders onto their desk so that they can perch their other hand on their hip. "Let me tell you, Icanus, that threats tend to lose their effectiveness the more you repeat them."

The muscle of Lohius' jaw flexes as he clenches his teeth and Sovran's eyes trace the sharp, alluring line of Lohius' jaw. Their kismesis really is quite handsome, especially when his facade of pleasantries has been cracked wide open, revealing the bitter, vengeful, _spiteful_ core of him. 

"Truly, you are off your game today." Sovran perches on the edge of their desk, watching him with the kind of smug expression that they _know_ grinds his gears. "Where is your razor wit? Your retorts leave _much_ to be desired. Don't tell me that your mistakes are _weighing_ on you, it's not as if you care overly much about who you cull-"

"I said," Lohius stalks forwards and grabs Sovran's chin, tilting their head back in a sharp motion, "to _watch your tongue._ "

"Or what?" Sovran asks breathlessly, "you'll cull me?" Their eyes glitter with satisfaction as they stare up at their kismesis. "I know you won't _._ You talk a big game for someone who can't follow through." 

"I _despise_ you, Marqui." Lohius hisses. "You are a manipulative, conniving bastard of a teal."

" _Yes_ " Sovran purrs back, reaching up and winding Lohius' tie around their hand and pulling him in, hooking one leg around his and rubbing their calf slowly over his thigh. "So why don't you remind me of my place, _violet?_ "

A heartbeat just too long passes by in an instant, just long enough for Sovran to feel a flicker of disappointment- but then Lohius' mouth is on theirs, hard enough to bruise and the disappointment turns into molten satisfaction. Lohius is always tricky, strangely prudish, it's not always that Sovran can convince him to pail. Pulling the seadweller's strings is a bit like trying to tame a wild purrbeat- you're just as likely to get bit for your efforts as you are to succeed.

But when they succeed- the results are _marvelous._

Lohius' hands are all across Sovran's body, pushing them down to the desk as his mouth follows after, devouring Sovran with a kind of hunger that speaks to _desperation_. Sovran wraps one hand around the back of Lohius' neck, grinning into the kiss as he goes tense at having such a vulnerable place touched by his kismesis. 

But as Lohius deepens the kiss, cool tongue invading Sovran's mouth in a wet, pleasurable slide, he doesn't attempt to displace Sovran's hand, which basically _screams_ to Sovran what kind of fuck he needs. 

So Sovran tightens their hand over the vulnerable skin for a moment- and then slides their hand up and wraps it around the base of Lohius' braid and _pulls_ his head back. A rough noise is yanked from Lohius' throat, his eyes going wide in shock- and then he bares his teeth and makes the low kind of clicking noise that only seadwellers can make, all hunger and fury and _want._

If Sovran's bulge hadn't been interested before, it sure as hell is now.

"Come on, prettyboy." Sovran purrs. "Make me _feel it._ "

Lohius responds _beautifully_ to the challenge. It's clear now to Sovran why he's here- he came to just shut his brain off and drench himself in emotions that he doesn't let himself feel without prompting. Sovran is more than happy to oblige- the hateful part of themself _purrs_ at watching the composed, elegant violet fall apart into base instinct and rage like all of the _lesser_ land dwelling trolls. 

They're not so different, when it comes down to it. 

Lohius' hands find Sovran's shirt and pull, jerking it up over Sovrans head as the teal arches to make it easier, his gaze dark and stormy as Sovran's hands find his jacket and tug at it- Lohius obliges as their mouths meet in a biting kiss, shrugging it off and tossing it away. With fingers in his hair, Sovran licks and nips at Lohius' lips, keeping the seadweller pressed right up against their body as they wrap both legs around his hips.

Sparks of pleasure dance up Sovran's spine as their hips grind together in a _delicious_ , clothed slide, a low groan in Sovran's throat rising up from the sensation. Their bulges are both out- Sovran can feel Lohius' pressing against their own through the layers of cloth. 

Well. Sovran would very much like to have them _not_ be through layers of cloth.

They (regretfully) let go of Lohius' hair to reach for his belt instead- only for their hands to be snatched up and pinned to the desk as Lohius grinds harder, mouth finding Sovran's neck. A sharp frisson of fear slices through Sovran's chest, making them gasp, but Lohius seems to have no intent of ripping their throat out today, as he gives another low _chrr_ \- _kk-k_ that has Sovran's bulge squirming needily. 

"You will stay where I put you." Lohius growls, to which Sovran huffs a sharp noise.

"I will _not_." They refute and yank, but Lohius' grip is firm and their wrists do not budge. Hot annoyance spears their belly, making their lip pull back in a silent curl. 

"You will or I will _make_ you." 

" _Then mak- hhh-ng-"_ Sovran's words dissolve as sharp teeth scrape across their neck, sliding into a whimper and a full-body jerk as instincts demand they _get away, get away, threat, THREAT-_

They _hate_ this. They hate the way Lohius' seadweller strength overwhelms them so completely, hates being trapped and pinned down and Lohius knows that, damn him, they want Lohius losing control and snarling and _fucking them already_ but instead Lohius is placing slow, firm kisses up and down their neck (their _vulnerable_ fucking neck, fuck-) and nipping with his teeth, grinding their hips together the whole while.

Trapped. It _burns_ at them. Sovran finds themself jamming their heel into Lohius' ass, panting roughly, hating hating _hating_ the hot, molten feelings coiling in their belly, trying to get him to fucking _move on already_ , to go harder, rougher, _blacker-_

Sovran feels the huff of amusement against their skin- and then Lohius' hips slow into a gentle rock instead of a hard one. Their skin crawls- they don't know if Lohius has issues with smearing quadrants or if he does it deliberately to fuck with them, it's probably both if they're being honest, but either way it's _revolting_.

"I am _not_ -" Sovran twists and gets a leg between them, plants their foot in Lohius' stomach, "your _fucking matesprit-_ " and _shoves,_ kicking Lohius backwards and off, _well_ aware of how brightly flushed teal their face is. Lohius staggers backwards, raising a hand to wipe his mouth, his own cheeks painted violet.

"So stop with the soft bullshit." Sovran snaps, reaching for their own belt and yanking it off. "Or I will _defenestrate you_."

"You will not." Lohius says, eyes glittering with a smug loathing that makes Sovran want to lose control and _hit_ him to wipe that expression off his face. 

"I _may._ " Sovran tips their chin up as they snap their belt at him meaningfully then drop it to the side. "Now get your ass over here and _pail me already."_

"And if I don't?" 

"Then I shall follow you to _Event Horizon_ , set up my office there, and _never let you sleep again._ "

"How horrible." Lohius drawls, but he's already moving back in and letting Sovran pull him in, letting Sovran kiss him and undo his belt, hands diving into Lohius' pants to guide his bulge out, letting it wrap around their wrist as they take a hold of the base and squeeze. Lohius makes a noise like he's been punched- the big bad seadweller is _sensitive._

Sovran laughs as their other hand cups the back of Lohius' head, not even making fun of Lohius for his reaction as he drops his head to rest on their shoulder. They made the mistake of doing it once and Lohius had iced them out so hard that Sovran had actually _apologized_ for it in order to fix their relationship. 

"That's it." Sovran coos as Lohius' hands tighten on their body, his hips jolting forwards instinctively. It's disgustingly cute (and Sovran hates that he thinks so), how _submissive_ Lohius really gets during the act- no matter how he might snap and posture and bite to preserve his image and pride (and what a prideful being he is, prideful to the core-), Sovran knows just how truly inexperienced he is. Sovran may only be a half-sweep older, but they've had so much more experience and the difference shows here, in the way that Lohius' breathing goes ragged as Sovran gives his bulge a couple slow, firm pulls, violet slick coating their hand. 

Lohius' bulge is long- not the longest that Sovran's had, that's for sure, but it's not very tapered, as most seadweller bulges are. Theories, of course, speak as to reasonings- but it boils down to the fact that while most troll castes have evolved to adapt to reproduce through the mother grub, seadwellers, with their longer lifespan and handful of trolls per generation, still have remnants of older methods of reproduction.

Which is all a very fancy way to say that Lohius' bulge is the most fascinating one that Sovran's ever had their hands on. Where other bulges are tapered to a point at the tip and completely flexible, Lohius' has a firm ridge on the underside and a wider tip that, in theory, opens up to deposit eggs. In practice, they have yet to see it happen, but Sovran has… ideas for seeing if they can make it. Purely out of curiosity, of course. Reproduction through any method but the mother grub is forbidden except with _express_ permission, so of course Sovran would never carry such heretical thoughts. 

Especially not with Lohius Icanus as a kismesis. Quadmate or no, Sovran would lose their head in an instant if Lohius thought they might ever possibly harbor such sentiments. 

Sovran lets go long enough to work their pants down, freeing their bulge, and hooks a leg around Lohius' thighs to pull him in. 

"Where did all your bravado go, Icanus?" Sovran purrs, brushing their mouth along his fin. It twitches and slaps them in the face, making them sputter. "Hey- watch it." 

"It is your own fault." Lohius murmurs, sounding like he's pulling himself back together, so Sovran very politely pretends like they didn't notice him ever as anything other than composed.

Look. Sovran might be his kismesis, but they're not a _jackass._ They have more class than that.

"Right." Sovran hums. "My apologies. _Clearly-_ "

"Apology accepted." Lohius rumbles, cutting Sovran off as he pushes them down to lie on their desk again, rocking forwards. _Fuck yes,_ that means that Lohius' head is back in the moment instead of off wherever the fuck it likes to go sometimes which means that it is time for the _real_ sexy times and Sovran could not be happier.

It's almost worth losing the exchange to Lohius. Almost.

Their bulges meet and twine together, a slide that has Sovran closing their eyes and moaning, hand tangling in Lohius' hair once more, kissing Lohius back roughly, the both of them panting against each other's mouths. Fabric still covers most of Lohius' body but Sovran cannot bring themself to care, arching up, bracing their shoulders against the desk to get their hips as close as they can to Lohius, the seadweller all but covering Sovran with his body as he presses Sovran down to the desk, hands grabbing and moving and grabbing again like he doesn't know what he wants to hold, only that he _wants_ to. 

Each touch sears to the bone, like every handprint will stay on Sovran's skin for _hours_ and hours, marking him as Lohius' and that idea is as hateful as it is _delicious_ . The desire to leave their own mark is too great to resist- their nails score over Lohius' shirt and there's the distinct sound of _ripping_ . Something gives under their fingers and Lohius grunts into the messy kiss- but Sovran feels the way his bulge _pulses_ against their own. 

"This is a _nice shirt._ " Lohius growls and Sovran laughs.

" _Your mistake._ " They purr. Lohius puts more of his weight on them, pinning them down, and his hips grind forwards harder, his bulge twisting and writhing around Sovran's. Sovran moans, Lohius rumbles low in his throat, and the dance of their bodies against each other is _sinfully_ good. 

But it's not enough. Not for Sovran. They tighten their leg around Lohius' waist and pull him in _hard_ as they force their bulge to detangle and go where they want it. They feel Lohius jerk and go stiff as smooth cloth rubs against their bulge and then- soft skin, tender and vulnerable. 

"Open up for me, pretty boy." Sovran coos- a wide grin on their face- and then they reach down and _yank_ Lohius' hips forwards, close enough that their bulge can slip into Lohius' nook through his open pants. Lohius shudders in Sovran's hands and- to their ever-lasting delight, tilts his fins down. _Submissively._

Sovran wants to _ruin_ him. 

Their hands force his pants down his hips, down around his knees, and then pull him up- it's alright, their desk can take both of their weight- and Lohius _goes_ where Sovran directs him _,_ eyes screwed shut and brows furrowed as he just _lets_ Sovran pull him up into place straddling the teal's thighs and guide him down onto their bulge. 

Sovran gives a spiteful purr, just for the sake of watching Lohius' bulge squirm. Lohius shifts, his hips tilting, his face flushed as he gives a couple of shaky rocks, his nook gripping Sovran like it never wants them to leave.

"Aren't you embarrassed?" Sovran purrs, propping themself up with one hand, the other finding Lohius' bulge and tangling with it, stroking slowly, firmly. Lohius shudders at his words, eyes cracking open- and there's a _desperate_ vulnerability there as his hips cant and rock unsteadily, fucking himself on Sovran's bulge. "A violet, taking it from a teal… what would everyone else say? How _humiliating._ "

That strikes home and Sovran knows it. Lohius' bulge thrashes in their hand as his expression slides into hot shame, his usual prideful, haughty demeanor nowhere to be found, stripped away. 

"I despise you, Icanus." Sovran growls and tightens their hand at Lohius' base, watching the troll above him squirm and suck in a sharp breath. "Seadwellers are supposed to be _leaders._ Our _royalty._ And what are you? You go belly-up the moment someone overpowers you in the slightest. Is that leader behavior?" The soft vestigial fins on the sides of Lohius' bulge are spreading, a sure sign that Lohius is close. 

"You're just weak. Weak to the core." Sovran watches each barb strike home with vicious satisfaction. "Still clinging to the past, still letting it control you- it's disgusting." 

Sovran knows why Lohius comes here, time and time again. He _needs_ this humiliation, needs it like a fish needs water. Sovran is more than happy to provide, more than happy to watch this seadweller break down for _them_ and _only_ them.

Sovran despises Lohius' weakness. They despise the idea of someone else seeing it even more- and most of all, they despise the idea of someone else _hurting their kismesis._

Lohius shows Sovran his vulnerabilities because he knows Sovran is, inherently, a selfish troll. They want to tear Lohius apart piece by disgusting piece until his core is exposed, soft and vulnerable- and then they want to build him back together and tear out everything that makes him weak. They want to keep him _all for themself._ Sovran can see it- Lohius could be _magnificent_ if he could only stop letting the past weigh him down. 

Sovran doesn't trust a single other troll on the planet to do that. Not a single fucking one- because Lohius belongs to _them_ . Lohius is _their_ kismesis and _no one else gets that._

No one else gets to see Lohius' gaze, full of humiliation, or the way his fins tilt and go down in submission. They don't get the clumsy rocking of his hips, or the flush on his cheeks, or the sight of him being fucked by a troll far beneath him. The only thing they get is Lohius Icanus, rebel hunter, perfectly composed and untouchable, regal and refined

Only Sovran gets to see this side of him. 

_Only_ Sovran.

If any troll that tries to change that, Sovran will tear them apart.

"That's right." Sovran purrs, watching the tremble that runs through Lohius' frame. "This is what you _need_ , isn't it? You're going to come apart on my bulge, fucking yourself on it, showing what you _really_ are."

"S-shut your-" Lohius fumbles for words- but Sovran isn't having it. Lohius has been nothing but pissy the entire time he's been here- so Sovran is going to give him _exactly_ what he wanted.

Complete and utter submission. 

"No." Sovran shoves Lohius off and Lohius stumbles, quickly righting himself, his eyes wide in a shock that Sovran _luxuriates_ in. "You came to _me,_ Icanus- that means that you're playing by _my_ rules." 

They step forwards and push Lohius against the window- the size difference is comical but it makes no difference to Sovran as they hike Lohius' leg up and _thrust_ into him. Lohius jerks, horns clacking against the window as his head tips back, hands finding Sovran's hair and sinking into it for something to hold onto. 

"You- impertinent-" Lohius gasps, but he cuts himself off with a deep, humiliated _chrr_ as Sovran starts to fuck, driving their bulge up into the violet troll, his expression twisting into a helpless kind of pleasure

"That's right." Sovran says, breathless, pleasure slipping up and down their spine from the clench of Lohius' cool nook around them. "I _am_ impertinent. And it's this impertinent teal that is going to have you falling apart, _Lohius_." 

Lohius makes the tiniest of keens in his throat at the sound of his name, curling in, mouth barely inches from Sovran's ear, his breath washing over their skin. His bulge squirms needily between them, caught between their bodies as Sovran drives their hips forwards, snapping into Lohius' body, fucking him as hard as they can, feeling his body get tighter and tighter.

It's with a practiced ease that Sovran reaches for their sylladex, plucks the pail from its hold, and drops it beneath them right before Lohius' hands tighten to the point of pain in Sovran's hair, a sure signal that he's close. Sovran _yanks_ Lohius down, the seadweller's back sliding down the window pane until they're kneeling, Lohius' legs spread wide and head resting against the windowsill, right over the pail. 

The action, of course, has the side effect of _driving_ Sovran's bulge into Lohius' body- and the violet's face is flushed, fins quivering, trembling under Sovran's touch. Sovran grins wickedly, takes Lohius' bulge, and guides it down. 

" _Lohius._ " Sovran purrs. " _Let. Go._ " His hand tightens around Lohius' bulge and _pulls_.

Lohius lets go.

It's a beautiful sight, the seadweller shaking and chittering, his bulge pulsing in their hand as a rush of slurry pours from their tip and down into the pail, nook tight and squeezing around Sovran's bulge as if Lohius' body were trying to milk them. His expression is open and _helpless_ as he clings to Sovran- and to Sovran's delight, there are _tears_ glittering in the corner of Lohius' eyes. 

It's the sight of them that has Sovrans' hips rocking unsteadily into Lohius, jolting up until they, too, cum- teal slurry pumping into Lohius' nook because, really, at their core, Sovran is just as much of a bitch as Lohius. They want Lohius' royal nook _painted_ with teal, with Sovran, a perfect reminder of where he _really_ belongs.

"Ba-stard-" Lohius gasps as he feels the slurry start to drip from his body down to the bucket below, the colors slowly bleeding into each other, Lohius' thick slurry slow to accept the watery slurry of a landdweller. 

Sovran laughs softly, raising a hand to cup Lohius' cheek as their bulge slowly retreats, letting their slurry pour out of their kismesis. It's wet and messy and Sovran _knows_ that Lohius will be changing his suit later from the wet patches, a vicious triumph burning in Sovran's chest at the thought. 

For a minute, they just breathe. Lohius' hands slowly relax in Sovran's hair, Sovran slips the bucket aside as the trickle from Lohius' nook slows, then stops. They sink the rest of the way to the floor and let Lohius piece himself back together.

It's always fascinating to Sovran, watching it happen. Sovran has become a master of slipping right between the chinks of Lohius' armor and pulling it all apart, but as they slide their hands up and cup Lohius' cheeks, they watch the dazed, humiliated pleasure slowly recede, replaced with something softer, wearier. 

Not finished, then.

"Lohius." Sovran murmurs, feeling the shudder that runs through his kismesis, his eyes fluttering shut. The paleness of it all needles at Sovran, but the teal ignores it. Right now, his kismesis needs him and no amount of quadrant smearing will change the sheer hatred that burns in his chest for the other troll. 

_"Sovran,"_ Lohius whispers back, his voice sounding close to breaking. "I cannot endure it. It is too much." 

Finally. The core of why Lohius sought them out. Sovran has to handle this carefully, so they lean in and kiss Lohius lightly, nips at his lip, thumbs his cheeks. 

They know, of course, what Lohius is talking about. It is no secret between them, nor is it an event unknown to the public. It's the anniversary soon and Sovran cannot believe that they didn't remember until Lohius had shown up.

The anniversary of Lohius' matesprit's assassination- and subsiquent slaughter by Lohius' hand. Near a hundred trolls dead, before the blind rage had subsided. It was before Sovran had met Lohius- but the event has ghosted every footstep Lohius has taken since.

"You don't have a choice." Sovran tells Lohius, watching the way his expression threatens to crumple. "If you don't bear it, you'll die- and if you do that, I'll find a way to bring you back to cull you _myself._ " 

Lohius huffs softly, his eyes sliding shut. There's a fragility, to his demeanor, that rankles at Sovran- and it makes them make up their mind.

"Stay over tonight." Sovran says. 

Lohius pauses. "Are you sure?" He says carefully, and Sovran knows what he's thinking. Sovran regularly getting visits from a seadweller impacts their social circles- they're pretty sure the young teal in the lower block is terrified of even breathing in their direction, lest they have her culled- but Sovran's neighbors can _deal._ It's not as if Sovran _hides_ that Lohius is their kismesis, they wear his damn ring. 

"Yes." Sovran says simply. "You're too pathetic to be left alone for this." 

Lohius' expression twists into something bitchier, which is a relief, because Sovran would much prefer their usual needling to the careful handling of Lohius' vulnerabilities. They catch the flash of relief, though, but steadfastly ignore it in favor of steering them back towards their usual dynamics.

"Besides, you need to properly unwind," Sovran continues, smirking at Lohius. "We can always-"

"I am not going to get intoxicated with you." Lohius drawls. Sovran laughs, finally extracting themself from Lohius' hold and climbing to their feet to sort their clothing situation out. 

"Are you sure?" They ask. "Sometimes I really do wonder how you have not combusted from stress. Surely unwinding would be good for your health."

They smirk as Lohius rises up and makes a disgusted expression, no doubt feeling the last remnants of Sovran's slurry drip out of him. 

"I am not getting intoxicated with you." Lohius repeats. 

" _Boring_." 


	2. Chapter 2

Lohius hasn't been to Sovran's hive often. It's too conspicuous, too tucked into the heart of the city, surrounded by other high-rises and way too many trolls for Lohius' comfort. His place isn't here- it's out on the open waves, with his thoughts and the sky for company. He's not  _ made  _ to be around so many other trolls, by nature of biology and actions, and so their carefully-averted, fearfully curious stares are like tiny needles in his back. 

Sovran, of course, ignores it all, striding ahead like it's no concern to them that they're being seen with him. Why would they care? Lohius might have a  _ reputation _ , but it's one to be feared and respected in turn and sometimes the thought of it tastes like ash in his mouth.

They walk in silence. They ride up the elevator in silence. Sovran spins their keys around their finger and unlocks their door in silence, and it's only when the door is closed that they laugh.

"Well, that ought to keep the nosey vultures gossiping for a bit." They say, kicking their heels off in the vague direction of their shoe rack and padding off to their meal block. Lohius wrinkles his nose at their carelessness but toes off his shoes and, after lining them up neatly, follows after. He folds his arms and leans in the doorway, silently asking himself why he decided to come here- Sovran is  _ absolutely  _ going to try and get him high.

Lohius will never understand the duplicity of teals. They certainly take work-life separation to a degree that is, to be quite honest, unsettling. Smile at the office and threaten to knife their co-workers and then go home and be happy to hang out with them? It's practically court games of their own, wrapped up in law and order and smiles like knives and the all-encompassing threat of being fed to His Honorable Tyranny should they meet as opponents. Sovran might call him a fool for it, but Lohius is never nothing but honest- something that would get him a knife in the throat and two in the back if he were a teal. 

It makes Lohius very very glad he was not hatched a teal. 

"Are you still drinking that disgusting crap from East Alternia?" Sovran asks dismissively and Lohius has to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes."

"Too bad, I don't have any. Would you like some disgusting bean juice like the rest of us common landwellers?" Sovran picks up the tin of instant coffee and shakes it at him in amusement. 

"No." 

"Back to monosyllabic answers, I see. Lovely." Sovran turns away and flips on their kettle, raising a hand to their mouth and yawning. "What shall it take you to break you of this tragic state this time?" 

Lohius levels an unimpressed look at Sovran's back and says nothing. There's still a lethargic weight to his limbs, a tremble in his hands hidden by his folded arms. His heart is still lurching, aching with every pound, but after being put through the wringer by his kismesis, it's… eased, a bit. Not much, but enough that he can breathe without feeling like his lungs are full of glass.

"I stand corrected." Sovran says, after a beat of silence. "I can feel your glare, Icanus- it might work to intimidate others, but I've seen you fighting to get paint out of your hair." Lohius does  _ not  _ flush at that. Embarrassment is for other trolls.

"And?" 

Sovran pauses. Turns to look at him. He meets their gaze evenly. 

"...right." They say, their eyes flicking over him, assessing him with their scalpel-sharp stare. 

Lohius feels his fins go flat against his head. It's as big of a tell as drawing his shoulders up and it burns into his stomach.

Sovran puts the coffee tin down. 

"Nevermind. This is going to be one of  _ those  _ nights, isn't it?" They say. Lohius very pointedly doesn't say anything, refusing to be the first to look away. Sovran apparently decides that engaging in a grublike staring contest isn't worth it, so Lohius takes his very petty victory in Sovran turning away and opening the fridge to pull out a tall-necked glass bottle filled with a garishly colored neon-lilac liquid. 

"Come on, then." Sovran says, sweeping out of the meal block, booze in hand Lohius turns and follows them to their couch, sweeping his braid out of the way as he sits down on one end. Sovran unscrews the top of the bottle and raises it to their mouth, head tilting back as they take a drink.

In the silence, Lohius fishes for something to say. He's never been good at this- threats and interrogations slide off his tongue like water off of a seal's back, but the intricacies of casual interaction… escape him. Conversations are impossible to carry when he never has more to offer than a few short replies and a lack of desire to speak of himself, and there's not much point in prodding others with questions he doesn't mean sincerely. So he ends up in silence, tongue weighed down with the expectation of social niceties that have never been nice to him.

Sovran puts the bottle down, leaving it open. A silent invitation. Lohius regards it much like a coiled snake waiting to strike. 

"Okay." Sovran says, pulling a pack out of their sylladex and slipping out a deathstick, lighting it and taking a pull. "First," they point the slowly-smoking intoxicant at Lohius to punctuate their words, "get that jacket off. You look like there's a stick up your spine and this is very firmly a no-stick zone." 

Lohius probably should protest, but he finds himself taking it off and folding it up, putting it away in his sylladex.

"Happy?" He asks.

"Never." Sovran responds immediately. "Now pick up the bottle and take a drink. You  _ need  _ to unwind, Icanus. When was the last time you slept for a full day? Don't say yesterday, the bags under your eyes are big enough that I could pack my entire hive into them with room to spare."

Lohius shoots Sovran a flat look, but picks up the bottle. The scent coming from it is enough to make his eyes water- it's  _ strong, _ smelling like the polish remover that Sovran uses on their nails when they're cleaning them of color. 

"This is disgusting." Lohius says, instead of answering Sovran.

"Sure is. But you're a lightweight, so it'll knock you on your ass. So  _ drink. _ " 

Lohius stares at the alcohol in the bottle for a long moment, enough that he can hear the inhale from Sovran as they take a pull. 

It's… not the first time he's gotten intoxicated. It's definitely not the first time with Sovran, either, but each time always ends up with him in a humiliating situation and only vague memories of it or how Sovran responded. Lohius really isn't sure how Sovran is still his kismesis, given some of the memories he has shoved into the back of the closet with all the other ones he doesn't want to think about, but… if Sovran's still here, then Lohius must be doing  _ something  _ right.

He raises the bottle to his mouth and takes a drink. He gags on it immediately as the taste fills his mouth, bitter and overpowering and burning but he forces a couple of mouthfuls down.

"Don't  _ waste  _ it." Sovran says, as Lohius pulls it away, heat slipping into his stomach and spreading through his veins immediately, making him aware of the droplets running down his chin. He wipes his face with a scowl, putting the bottle down.

"That is disgusting." Lohius informs them. 

"Does the job, doesn't it?" Sovran drawls, arching a brow at him. They seem, as always, infuriatingly unaffected, which is irritating because as Lohius settles back against the couch again, he can feel the heat rushing up into his face and down to his fingers, the characteristic quick intoxication of the cheap kind of home-brewed stuff with too high intoxicant ratios to outright toxins.

The kind of stuff made for chugging to get drunk fast, nothing like the refined alcohols of the upper castes with no poison at all in them made for social drinking and sipping to look refined. Lowblood booze is just like everything else about them- strong, short-lived, and likely to kill you if you let it overwhelm you. 

"Maybe if you got something proper to drink I would do it more often with you." 

"No you wouldn't, don't lie. The kind of thing you'd drink willingly has no bite and takes four bottles to get someone of  _ my  _ size drunk. It's not worth the effort it takes to get it."

Lohius rolls his eyes, then pauses. Great, it's already affecting him. He could have guessed by the way that he's actually relaxing into the couch, but the smirk on Sovran's face is enough of a tell on it's own.

"Come here, fishboy." Sovran says, stretching one leg out on the couch, holding their free hand out to him. 

Lohius stares at it like it'll bite him if he takes it. Sovran wiggles their fingers invitingly.

He shouldn't. He's a seadweller and this is his kismesis. To do so would be an act of quadrant smearing of the greatest magnitude- but Sovran is  _ inviting  _ it. But they've done this before. At least, Lohius is pretty sure that those memories are just fuzzy from being drunk and not from them being made up in his sleep. His dignity demands…

Sovran blows smoke out and waits.

Lohius takes their hand. 

His motions are halting, clumsy by the rush of intoxicants in his veins and the uncertainty of the action, but he lets Sovran guide him in and down so that he's tucked between Sovran's side and the back of the couch on his side. His cheek ends up on Sovran's shoulder, his legs folded so that he fits on their couch like this, their legs thrown over his. 

It's… pale. His face feels hot. Hot with anger at being guided around so easily, hot with embarrassment at being tucked against his kismesis, hot with fury at his own easily pliable state after just a couple of gulps of alcohol. 

"Stop thinking so much." Sovran says, their voice sounding faintly dreamy. There's an inhale from them, and then their hand is on his face, guiding him up, and their mouths meet.

Lohius breathes in. Sweet, herbal-flavored smoke fills his mouth and it burns his throat going down into his lungs, so he pulls back and coughs, curling against Sovran. 

"You're such a wriggler." Sovran says, their amusement burning at him. "I swear, it's like you'll never get used to this."

"Be quiet." Lohius says, but his voice is hoarse. Sovran huffs a laugh that Lohius can feel against him, a little jerk of their chest that vibrates in his lungs. 

"No." They say, and then their mouth is on his again. It's easier, this time, to accept the smoke now that he knows it's coming- and it fills his lungs up, fills him up, light and gossamer and tucking little shimmering spiderwebs into every corner of his body.

"You're real fucked up right now, huh?" Sovran murmurs, as Lohius exhales and lets the shimmering silken ties in his chest rush out with his breath. "Damn. I don't think I've seen you just  _ let  _ me get you fucked up like this in… a long time." 

"I said be quiet." Lohius murmurs, but it's like his voice is coming from far away. He doesn't quite feel real anymore and it's… kind of nice. Like the only things keeping him tied to the world are the thin little threads of Sovran and Elemat, like nothing else is… here.

He knows Sovran laughs at him for how fast he slips under the influence. He can't be bothered to care right now. Maybe tomorrow, when the rest of the world has flooded back in and he's forced to settle the burden of order back onto his shoulders and build his defenses back up one by one until his armor is once more impenetrable.

But right now Sovran's fingers are dancing slowly down his spine and over his braid and every now and then they guide his face up for another breath of smoke, sending him spiraling up and down at the same time. 

"Lohius." Sovran's voice is soft. Lohius tilts a fin up towards them, but doesn't open his eyes. "You should get on emotion regulators." 

"No."

This isn't the first time Sovran's brought it up, and Lohius is sure it won't be the last. It's also pretty solid proof that- no matter how much quadrant smearing they do- Lohius will always be pretty firmly black for this stupid teal. 

Because Sovran is  _ fucking annoying _ .

Lohius lets Sovran guide him up for another breath of smoke that mellows the rolling edge of his emotions, the grief that aches in his chest with every beat of his heart. Like throwing a blanket over it. Muffled. Muted. Just for now, but even just momentary relief is better than nothing.

"The more you ask," Lohius murmurs, "the more my answer shall remain unchanged."

"You are horrifically stubborn." Sovran sighs, their fingers smoothing over Lohius' braid. "I despise you for it."

"Yes." Truth be told, Lohius cannot stop him from relaxing under Sovran's touch. Perhaps it's paradoxical with the nature of their relationship- or, rather, how their relationship  _ should  _ be, but Lohius has instinctively known that he's never in any physical danger from Sovran. No, Sovran's danger lies in their wit and their subtle manipulations and their ability to change their outward persona to be perceived in some new way as easily as slitting a throat. Sovran has never been anything but a danger to Lohius' mind.

…which, now that he's considering it, makes him  _ quite  _ stupid for getting intoxicated in his presence. 

"It would be good for you." Sovran continues, making irritation bubble up in Lohius' chest, something he really doesn't want to feel when he's so mellowed out and, for the first time in… probably almost half a sweep, actually,  _ genuinely relaxed. _ "You may not wish to hear it-" yeah, he  _ doesn't _ \- "but the weight you carry… the melancholy I see in you- it's not healthy. Carrying such things unassisted-  _ especially  _ without a moirail- it will land you on the culling block sooner or later, Lohius. Even as a violet.

"The empire has no use for defective trolls." Sovran's words are quiet and doesn't that just hit the nail on the head? Lohius has no moirail, has no matesprit, has no friends. Just a kismesis and the future heir who, despite Lohius' loyalty to him, will go into the stars, face Her Imperious Condescension, and die. 

And then it will be just Lohius and Sovran. As a violet's quadmate, Sovran is naturally afforded an extra level of protection against culling, but if Sovran dies for any reason… Lohius will have nothing.

Again.

Just him and the crushing weight of his grief- only then it will be amplified to levels impossible to handle. He can barely handle it as is, every day like the universe's own punishment to him. He cannot imagine how he will handle it when Elemat dies- and if Sovran dies, he may as well cull himself on the spot. At least it would be painless and quick, a mercy the drones would not allow him. 

But.

"I will not become an invalid." Lohius murmurs. "You know what those things do to trolls." 

Sovran exhales slowly, saying nothing. Lohius is right, of course. Trolls on emotion regulators… all too often, they become mindless husks. An extreme reaction to medication meant to smooth over the worst of dips and peaks of volatile troll emotions as they run hot and cold, but they're as likely to turn one into an emotionless drone. 

"What they  _ may  _ do to you. It is far from a guarantee." Sovran finally points out. Lohius makes a low, sardonic noise in his throat. 

"The answer is  _ no,  _ Sovran. I will not take them." 

He wishes that Sovran would just drop it. This pseudo-pile, this… kismesis feeling jam, or whatever Sovran wishes to label it, it will be enough for him to keep going. It has to be. His other option is to dull his emotions, his senses, his desires- and in the process of achieving emotional equilibrium, remove everything that  _ she  _ loved. 

He won't do it. He can't do it. It would be like cutting his braid- he would, quite frankly, rather die.

Sovran makes a low noise in their throat, and then they're shifting, reaching for the bottle, and drinking from it. Lohius holds a hand out and accepts it when it's passed to him, drinking another couple of gulps that he barely gags on, dropping his heavy head back onto Sovran's shoulder. His fins burn with warmth, his face is definitely flushed, but he can't bring himself to care. Sovran is warm against him, he's exhausted from their earlier tryst in Sovran's office, and there's a hot warmth in his chest to chase away the aching grief. 

"Fine." Sovran says, and it takes Lohius' brain a moment to realize the conversation that Sovran is continuing. "But you must come visit me more often, then."

"I make no promises." Lohius says in return- he can't guarantee when he'll be back in port, after all. Sovran's hand sinks into his braid and pulls on it and Lohius grits his teeth against the ache.

"Stop it, you-" 

" _ Promise. _ "

"Fine- I promise, now  _ let go."  _

Sovran lets go and sinks into the couch with a relieved sigh. Lohius would glower but he can't seem to raise his head, which is… fine. He's comfortable. That's his excuse. His body is heavy without weighing anything at all, and the rest of the world seems so very far away. The only thing in existence right now is the warmth of his kismesis, tucked against him. 

"You will be the death of me, I swear." Sovran sighs. 

"Perhaps. But not for a long time, I would hope." Lohius murmurs. "The only one who gets to cull you is me."

"Oh, shut up, you secret romantic. I should tell everyone how the great, fearsome Icanus is actually a big sap."

"No one would believe you." 

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoy my writing, check me out on Twitter at [@LPSunnyBunny](http://www.twitter.com/LPSunnyBunny)!


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